COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Princeton doesn't get much of a test against TCNJ

The Tigers were in tune-up mode against the Division III TCNJ Lions, rolling to a 71-33 win at Jadwin Gym. With Ivy rivals Cornell and Columbia on the docket for this weekend, the game was mostly designed to give Princeton a chance to shake off any library rust.

“After finals, you’re just a little lag after taking a couple weeks off,” said sophomore Denton Koon, who led the Tigers with 12 points. “We had assorted practices every couple days and exams, so it’s been a long couple weeks, but it was definitely good to get our legs back under us a week before we get back into the Ivy League.”

Princeton — whose shortest starter, the 6-foot-5 T.J. Bray, was almost as big as TCNJ’s tallest, the 6-foot-6 Mitch Miller — wasted no time establishing itself as the superior team, scoring the first nine points of the game and forcing Lions coach Kelly Williams to call a quick timeout.

“I’m pleased with the way we hit the boards,” Princeton coach Mitch Henderson said. “We’re not going to pull any punches. We’re going to be what we are.”

Coming off a tough one-point loss to Ramapo Saturday, TCNJ briefly battled to within striking distance thanks to some aggressive play from point guard Emmanuel Matlock. With 9:44 left in the first, the Lions’ Ryan Keegan knocked down a pair of foul shots to bring the score within five at 19-14.

“I love my guys, and I love the fact that we keep battling,” Williams said.

That, however, was as close as TCNJ got. Princeton proceeded to go on a 20-3 run, heading into halftime up 39-17.

Perhaps the most impressive Tigers player on the afternoon was freshman forward Hans Brase. Though Brase did miss a number of close-range shots, he was usually able to clean up his own rebound and score, which led to a final stat line of 11 points and 15 rebounds.

“I just tried to get low position,” Brase said. “I happened to miss a bunch of chippies, but I just tried to get the rebound.”

“You got to see a little bit of the future there, with Bobby Garbade and these two guys,” said Henderson, gesturing to Koon and Brase.

Matlock and Keegan led TCNJ with 10 apiece. Seven Princeton players scored six or more points.

Though the Lions struggled with the bigger, more athletic Tigers, it was clear that it was a thrill for them simply to be playing a Division I opponent in a venue like Jadwin.

“It’s always great to come and play in a stadium like this, against a team like Princeton,” said junior forward and Princeton High alum Skyelar Ettin, who finished with two points and five rebounds. “It’s just a great experience for us and it helps us work on some things we’ve struggled with.”

Princeton improves to 8-7 heading into its Friday showdown with Columbia. TCNJ, which falls to 5-15 with the loss, will try to bounce back Wednesday when it travels to Rutgers-Camden.

NOTES: With eight points, Ian Hummer became just the seventh Princeton player to score 1,400 points in his career. ... Brase’s 15 rebounds was the highest total for a Princeton player since 1999. …Both Princeton’s and TCNJ’s coaches wore sneakers with their suits as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Sneakers and Suits weekend.